30 day check in…already?

We had our 30-day check in this morning. We moved in three weeks ago today, but it’s been about 3 1/2 weeks since we closed. It’s starting to feel more like home. The car automatically passes our old neighborhood and turns in here, and I no longer spill water all over the floor because the dishwasher is on the “wrong” side of the sink. We are still mostly living out of boxes, and we have yet to hang a single thing on the wall. We’ve made plenty of dings in the walls, though, between moving a piano in here and just general living. I have the distinct honor of being the one who’s left the biggest ding–a Kindle makes rather impressive dark gouges in the wall when you fumble and drop it against the corner. Way to go, me! Someone had warned us that the drywall is like tissue paper, and I have to agree. It does seem to “bruise” fairly easily. I assume it’s the paint, and when paint ourselves (with rollers and a proper layer of paint), it will be a bit sturdier.

So, to our 30-day list. I thought it was really long, but our PM surprised us by saying it wasn’t terribly long. Some of what we’ve noticed is:

back door paint is streaky and needs to be redone

post light stopped working automatically at dark

some boards in the wood floor are cracked or scratched, and we didn’t do it during the move

the vanity in the guest bath has a hairline crack along one side

one of the columns on the front porch needs painting

an outlet in the master bathroom keeps cutting off and it needs to be reset

the A/C upstairs seems to run all the time, and struggles to keep the second floor cool

There were a few items that we thought couldn’t be included in the 30-day, but we wanted to ask his opinion about all the same. One was the water coming into the washing machine. We decided to spare our wallet, and bring over the set from our old house. The washer has worked perfectly, never had a moment of trouble with it. Suddenly, if I wash things on cold (and I wash nearly everything on cold), the machine wheezed and complained and took forever to fill. Husband took it all apart, replaced hoses, and removed the filters on both ends of the line, but to no avail. PM said cheerfully, “Oh, let’s just get the plumber in here, in case it is the line and not your washer.” Yay! It may very well be our washer didn’t survive the 1.5-mile move, but let’s rule this out, first. (Especially since I won’t have to pay for it.) And when I pointed out the chandelier in the foyer, PM said, “Oh, the crooked one?” THANK GOODNESS! I thought I was being uber-picky since one of the arms is all wonky, but it drove me and oldest son NUTS whenever we looked at it. So someone’s coming in with a big ladder and will tweak that.

He also patiently went over our lawn concerns and worries about the grading and water issues. Our two ornamental trees have croaked, but all our maples are doing great, so he will see what he can do about that. I was not expecting any help outside, since they were pretty clear that we are responsible for all the “green stuff” outside as soon as we close. But several other houses near us (who closed around the same time we did) also have flagging trees, so maybe there was just a bad batch of cherry trees?

All appointments were set up for ONE DAY next week, to minimize our inconvenience. Have to say, another positive mark for Ryan Homes. We are still so pleased at all the features of the house, like how quiet and snug it is in the rain, the abundance of outlets, the logically placed light switches, and the great water pressure. It’s silly, but we appreciate these things.

I promise to post pictures just as soon as I have something to show. Right now it’s all boxes and empty bookshelves. I need to stop half-ass unpacking, and whole-ass unpack!